The sixth episode of the documentary “The City of Tomorrow (1931-1940)” highlighted the economic failure of America during 1929 led to the financial development of the nation. The social unrest and poverty of the great depression era the American citizens suffered great desperation. In order to manage it, the policy makers of New York under the president ship of Dr. Franklin Roosevelt started to gather money from Washington to New York. The mayor of New York Fiorello Henry La Guardia tried to utilize the opportunity and with the help of twentieth century’s master builder Robert Moses planned to rebuild the city. The New York City has been changing its political position in the nation’s existing scenario as such federal initiatives have been bringing to the center of nation’s power. They together gave birth to the ‘New Deal’ out of the great depression that influentially changed the city and the nation. They imagined, planned and executed strategies to bring out the city out of the darkest time and made it a new bold one. During the 1930 the multiple development plan by Robert Moses along with the automobile was about to change the city into something bigger and better.
Robert Moses planned to reshape the city through expanding it to the suburbs but in the process he ignored the inner infrastructure of the city that needed to be up graded and large number of urban lower class. In the development process Robert Moses destroyed the Pen Station that fueled the movement of New York’s landmark preservation. Activist Jane Jacobs highlighted the need for preserving the existing neighborhood life. Moses imagined New York to be a modern place of titanic buildings and highways and city blocks. Moses proposed the Lower Manhattan Expressway and for that 416 housing building home of 2200 people, 365 stores and 480 commercial buildings had to be demolished. The cast iron made architecture was considered one of the most significant architectural sign of the city. She highlighted that shift in the urban economy will affect the interdependent functions depending upon the street if that is entirely gone to the automobile. Jane Jacobs encouraged the residents, intellectuals, immigrants, laborers to join the movement to save the homes and businesses of that area. However, Robert Moses failed to judge the strength of the people of Greenwich Village that was the city’s political dissent. Moses failed to connect to the city and understand the need of the people and he also failed that he could not communicate his vision to the people. In 1965 the Landmarks Preservation Commission starts working on saving the station.
Moses developed the city a lot on the surface level but did little care for the people who actually created it. Jane Jacobs pointed out the neglect that the neighborhood gets from such initiatives. The people who actually built the city would have faith for the future and for their future generations. Modern sociology demonstrates that for any builders or planning programs has to understand and integrate the need of the diverse neighborhood. The developers have to offer affordable housings and other benefits for thousands of inhabitants who are likely to be suffered and in return they will support the necessary growth of the city.
Reference:
"Jane Jacobs Vs Robert Moses: Urban Fight Of The Century." YouTube. N.p., 2012. Web. 8 Oct. 2017.
"New York: A Documentary Episode 6 A City Of Tomorrow." YouTube. N.p., 2013. Web. 8 Oct. 2017.
"Robert Moses And The Modern Park System (1929–1965) : Online Historic Tour : NYC Parks." Nycgovparks.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 8 Oct. 2017.
Bloom, Nicholas Dagen. Public housing that worked: New York in the twentieth century. University of Pennsylvania Press, 2014.
Paletta, Anthony. "Story Of Cities #32: Jane Jacobs V Robert Moses, Battle Of New York's Urban Titans." the Guardian. N.p., 2016. Web. 8 Oct. 2017.
